Geography and world records combine for undeniable fun.
And now, an atlas of world records.
It seems we will never tire of the smallest, the biggest, the lightest, the heaviest, the slowest, the fastest, the shortest, the longest, the quietest, the loudest, the coldest, and the hottest. Figueras and the illustrators have situated a variety of these opposing extremes on two-page map spreads of the world, color-coded by broad category (dinosaurs, technology, sports, etc.). They have then used the subsequent few pages before the next map to detail the entries. Biggest and smallest sport the Airbus A380 and teacup Yorkshire terriers, an almost 4-inch-long tongue and a 3 ½-inch nose, and the pygmy marmoset and the nano-frog, while the slowest and the fastest give readers the SR-71 Blackbird, Usain Bolt, the three-toed sloth, and the burgundy snail. The book highlights the amazing diversity of the world, both artificial and natural, and the creators do a good job at providing vest-pocket highlights of such amazing wonders: The longest flight of a bird is 200 days (the alpine swift), and the loudest insect is as loud as a motorcycle (the water boatman). There is ample mixture of the absurd (loudest recorded belch) and the scientific (mammal with the lowest body temperature: the Arctic ground squirrel). One mind-bender that might need some further research is the fastest roller coaster, clocked at 149,129 mph, evidently with a broken clock.
Geography and world records combine for undeniable fun. (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-3-89955-814-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little Gestalten
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In no particular order and using no set criteria for his selections, veteran sportscaster Berman pays tribute to an arbitrary gallery of baseball stars—all familiar names and, except for the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, retired from play for decades. Repeatedly taking the stance that statistics are just numbers but then reeling off batting averages, home-run totals, wins (for pitchers) and other data as evidence of greatness, he offers career highlights in a folksy narrative surrounded by photos, side comments and baseball-card–style notes in side boxes. Readers had best come to this with some prior knowledge, since he casually drops terms like “slugging percentage,” “dead ball era” and “barnstorming” without explanation and also presents a notably superficial picture of baseball’s history—placing the sport’s “first half-century” almost entirely in the 1900s, for instance, and condescendingly noting that Jackie Robinson’s skill led Branch Rickey to decide that he “was worthy of becoming the first black player to play in the majors.” The awesome feats of Ruth, Mantle, the Gibsons Bob and Josh, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb and the rest are always worth a recap—but this one’s strictly minor league. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3886-4
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
This absorbing history examines the lives and work of eight innovators in the design and manufacture of musical instruments. From Avedis Zildjian, who brought his family’s centuries-old cymbal-making business from Turkey to Boston, to Robert Moog, whose electronic synthesizer rocked the music world, VanHecke’s portraits celebrate the inquisitive scientific tinkering, dedication to craft and business moxie that rendered Steinway pianos, Hammond organs and Fender guitars both household names and performers’ favorites. The writing’s freshest when VanHecke changes it up with bits of cultural trivia, like Beatles lore. (It’s dullest when awash in the minutiae of cousins, marriages and succession.) Examining the effect of the Great Depression, the World Wars and immigration on these family businesses vibrantly contextualizes those issues for kids. Numerous well-captioned photos and period illustrations, sidebars and clearly labeled diagrams of the musical instruments expertly extend the text. Students and teachers of music are the natural audience for this unique treatment. (introduction, endnote, quotation sources, bibliographies, websites, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59078-574-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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